A couple beginner questions. Forum

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paulshortys10

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A couple beginner questions.

Post by paulshortys10 » Tue May 18, 2010 7:15 pm

I made the decision of applying to law school and i'm beginning to prepare for LSAT's and to look at possible schools.

1. I have a 3.45 from Uc Irvine in my 2 years here, and i got a 3.6 from a community college to transfer there. I HAD a 3.65 at UC Irvine, but i had 1 horrible quarter where i got 3 c's and no A's. Besides that one bad quarter it's been all A's and B's, so I'm thinking I can someone explain that bad quarter in my personal statement or something. Will the law schools I apply to combine my UC and CC gpa's into 1? will they take in consideration that I've only had one bad quarter?

2.BEEN reading the forums and I'm concluded on buying the Bible's. Does anyone recommend the Bible for the reading comprehension part of the test?which book would be recommended for that?

3.When it comes to the Preptests, how many is it recommended to take before the LSAT. I'm thinking of getting 10 of the earlier preptests, and 15 of the newer ones -45-59.

4.I'm Mexican American and could possibly milk a personal statement with stories of how poor i grew up and how no one in my family is educated and such(true stories). Will this matter to some schools looking to have more minorities? are there schools known for accepting more minorities?

5.I have 1 letter of rec from a professor (maybe 1 more), and 1 more from a lady I work for. I have research experience, joined some clubs, did 100 hours of volunteering, have a minor in ED. Considering this, and all the previous information given, And lets say I get a 170+ on my LSAT's, what possible schools could i realistically be looking at?. I live in the LA region so I would love to go to UCLA or USC, but would definately look out of state if the school is better.

Thanks a lot.

Mr. Pablo

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by Mr. Pablo » Tue May 18, 2010 7:23 pm

1. Your UG and CC classes will all be used to determine your LSDAS GPA.
2. The bibles are great, get all three of them. Just go and get all the LSAC preptests.
3. Don't speculate about your LSAT. Study like mad, take it, and come back with a real number to get any real guess at potential schools.
4. Check off the URM box on your apps- it will help.
5. Wipe hands on pants.

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nonamebreakdown

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by nonamebreakdown » Tue May 18, 2010 7:26 pm

Will the law schools I apply to combine my UC and CC gpa's into 1?

Yes.


4.I'm Mexican American and could possibly milk a personal statement with stories of how poor i grew up and how no one in my family is educated and such(true stories). Will this matter to some schools looking to have more minorities?

Yes.


And lets say I get a 170+ on my LSAT's, what possible schools could i realistically be looking at?.

If you get a 170+ then you will have a lot of options, including UCLA and USC. Getting the 170, of course, is the hard part, so get to work!


Sorry I wasn't able to answer all of your questions, but hopefully other people will be able to fill in the rest. Hope this helps.

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pilawpcv

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by pilawpcv » Tue May 18, 2010 7:58 pm

Check out lawschoolnumbers.com. You can put in different hypothetical LSAT's with your GPA and see what it gets you. Be sure to check the URM- Mexican is one of the few truly URM categories, as I understand it.

You can use this site: http://www.lawpad.com/gpa_calculator/ to calculate your LSAC GPA. They will combine your community college grades with your others.

And about explaining your bad semester...there's a thing called a GPA addendum that you can add to explain. I've been told it's a bad idea to make excuses in your personal statement, but that's all second hand info. Search the forums for "GPA addendum," and you'll get a lot more info.

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paulshortys10

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by paulshortys10 » Wed May 19, 2010 2:27 am

What this URM thing stand for? what are some law schools known for filling quotas for minorities?

I'm thinking on 25 preptests, is that too much or too little?

how much would working at a law firm help my resume? im thinking of applying as an intern or something.

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twopoodles

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by twopoodles » Wed May 19, 2010 10:41 am

URM=under represented minority

What schools fill minority quotas? More like what schools don't? The biggest boost will be in areas that are nearly all white (ahem, think Iowa), but it would help at any school because statistically, not that many minority students score that highly on the LSAT.

Mr. Pablo

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by Mr. Pablo » Wed May 19, 2010 4:30 pm

paulshortys10 wrote:What this URM thing stand for? what are some law schools known for filling quotas for minorities?

I'm thinking on 25 preptests, is that too much or too little?

how much would working at a law firm help my resume? im thinking of applying as an intern or something.
If you look on the main forum page you will see an entire subsection devoted to LSAT prep and study, look around, use the search function. Search for Pithypike's LSAT guide. All of your LSAT questions have probably already been answered dozens of times in that section.

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Bronte

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by Bronte » Wed May 19, 2010 7:00 pm

As others have said, Mexican-Americans are considered under represented minorities (URMs). This is not something that may or may not give you a boost at some schools. It is a huge factor that will give you a massive boost at all schools. The most underrepresented minority is the black male, but you will get a large boost.

If you did, as you say, have difficulties in your childhood associated with poverty, nationality, and race, you should definitely consider making this a focus of your personal statement or at least a diversity statement.

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paulshortys10

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by paulshortys10 » Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:55 am

does anyone know the dates for the lsat in october yet?
i haven't signed up for the lsac website yet, is the sooner the better?...how do i apply for a fee waiver when it comes to sending apps to schools

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calicocat

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Re: A couple beginner questions.

Post by calicocat » Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:10 am

paulshortys10 wrote:does anyone know the dates for the lsat in october yet?
i haven't signed up for the lsac website yet, is the sooner the better?...how do i apply for a fee waiver when it comes to sending apps to schools
http://www.lsac.org/LSAT/test-dates-us-oct10.asp

I would recommend signing up to lsac sooner rather than later. This way you can get your apps ready and see what schools require of you so that you are ready to send them off as soon as you get your LSAT score. Once you sign up for LSDAS, your merit info will get distributed to schools and you might get some unsolicited fee-waivers. There is an option once you apply for lsac to apply for an lsac fee waiver. However, you will need to show economic hardship. You can also request waivers straight from schools by emailing their admissions offices and requesting a waiver based on your merit. Include your LSAT id, score, and GPA in this email and just say that you're looking to apply to their school and are wondering if your academic credentials merit a waiver. Lots of schools will say no but some will say yes so it doesn't hurt to try.

Sample from another thread:

Dear School,

I write to inquire about merit-based fee waivers at ABC Law School. I understand that many schools select candidates for fee waivers through LSAC's Candidate Referral System; however, I am very excited about applying to ABC and wish to get my application in as soon as possible. Application fees present a substantial financial burden, though, and I hope to defray this cost if possible. My LSDAS GPA is X and LSAT is Y. If there is any information you need to help considering my request, please contact me and I will be happy to provide it. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
John Q. Applicant

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